Brewers Lose To Reds, First Place, Too

Posted: Fri 10:59 PM, Aug 17, 2007

Bronson Arroyo and the Cincinnati Reds knocked slumping and error-prone Milwaukee out of first place in the NL Central, beating the Brewers 8-3 Friday night.

The Brewers (62-60) lost their season-high fifth straight at home, falling a half-game behind the Chicago Cubs (62-59), who beat the St. Louis Cardinals 2-1 Friday afternoon in the opener of their four-game series.

Milwaukee has lost 14 of its last 19 contests and 11 of 15 in August. It's the first time the Brewers have been in second since Aug. 2 -- they regained the top spot a day later.

Arroyo (6-13) gave up nine hits in 7 1/3 innings, including three solo home runs -- two by J.J. Hardy and one by Gabe Gross. He struck out seven and also doubled and scored a run.

Adam Dunn added a two-run homer in the top of the ninth, his 33rd.

Trailing 6-1, Hardy and Gross each homered in the eighth to chase Arroyo. But the rally ended against relievers Bill Bray and Jared Burton.

The Reds padded a 4-1 lead with two runs in the seventh as the Brewers committed two errors.

Jeff Keppinger singled and advanced on Ken Griffey Jr.'s grounder to third baseman Ryan Braun, who threw the ball wide of second and into right field. Keppinger and Griffey kept on running and both scored when right fielder Gross' throw sailed into foul territory behind third.

Milwaukee had four errors in the game.

Jeff Suppan (8-10), the Brewers' $42-million free agent acquisition, is 0-3 in 10 starts since an 11-6 win over Kansas City on June 22. He gave up four runs -- three earned -- and eight hits in 5 2/3 innings.

Brewers starting pitchers are 1-10 over the last 18 games. Rookie right-hander Yovani Gallardo had the lone victory in a 2-1 win Aug. 3 against Philadelphia.

Scott Hatteberg hit a solo shot leading off the sixth. After a one-out single by Edwin Encarnacion and a sacrifice by Arroyo, Brewers manager Ned Yost pulled Suppan and Brian Shouse got Josh Hamilton looking to end the inning.

Keppinger figured in all three of the Reds' first runs off Suppan.

Keppinger reached on shortstop Hardy's fielding error and scored on Brandon Phillips' double in the first inning. In the third, Keppinger walked and came around to score on Griffey's double into the right-field corner.

In the fifth, center fielder Corey Hart's fielding error on Keppinger's liner up the middle allowed Arroyo, on with a leadoff double, to score.

Hardy made up for his miscue in the third when he hit his 21st home run of the season, trimming the Reds' lead to 2-1.

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